Technical Field of the Disclosure
The present embodiment relates in general to cooling processes and apparatuses. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to an improved liquid vessel cooling system having an insulation sleeve for cooling, transporting and dispensing beverages from kegs.
Description of the Related Art
While entertaining at home or traveling to and from various locations, such as games, picnics, fishing or the like, individuals or groups of people may find it desirable to maintain beverages in cold condition. In the past, the attempted solution to this problem has been to put a keg of liquid in a tub/container filled with ice. This solution has its drawbacks and can be ineffective because the ice often melts quickly, causing unsanitary and unsightly conditions, so a great quantity of ice must be replaced to keep the beverage cold which can be time-consuming and costly.
A conventional means for solving this problem is the use of fresh barrels or refrigerated beverage machines or a keg refrigeration unit such as a kegerator to store a large number of refrigerated beers or other beverages. However, the size of the kegerator is large and the device requires constant external electrical input. The kegerator is also heavy, expensive and not easily portable. Regular refrigerators are also impractical and inefficient because they take a long time to properly cool a beverage container and suffer from all the other drawbacks suffered by the kegerator. Additionally, keg refrigeration units, like the majority of cooling/refrigeration systems, treat their contents like thermal black boxes. Regardless of whether the refrigeration unit contains a beer keg, gallon of milk, or box of apples, the contents are enveloped in cold air, and the assumption is made that given enough time the items inside will approach the ambient temperature in the unit. There are efficiency losses inherent in this system, made worse due to the old air that quickly escapes each time the door is opened.
Cold refreshments are often desired in places where power outlets are not convenient or not available. It is particularly desirable to provide a combined refrigerator and portable cooler for use in a location where power is not available or cannot practically be made available. Many attempts have been made to combine the refrigeration unit and the portable cooler. One of the existing portable coolers employs a keg containing a suitable beverage such as a soft drink/juice, lemonade, energy drinks, beer, etc. to be dispensed by a rigid tap and hose. In addition, the portable coolers channel cold air to keep beverages consistently chilled and fresh upon dispensing. However, these coolers do not provide efficient insulation and thus the beer/beverages cannot remain cool for a long time, particularly on a hot day.
Attempts have been made to compensate for this instability by including an insulation material/layer or insulators to the beverage kegs. However, the thermal insulation provided by the insulators has not been entirely satisfactory. Typically, available insulators have either been constructed as a jacket slipover or as an insulating wrap. Both, however, leave portions of the keg exposed and thus do not provide a complete enclosure in order to achieve optimal insulation to the keg. In addition, such insulators are not provided with any means to transport the keg by hand.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved, small, lightweight and portable liquid vessel cooling system that would provide effective and efficient cooling, transporting and dispensing of beverages, particularly from kegs. Such an improved liquid vessel cooling system includes an insulation sleeve that would be reusable, collapsible, and easily storable. This insulation sleeve would provide an efficient insulation to allow beverages to remain cool for a long time. Such an improved liquid vessel cooling system would completely enclose a keg container in order to achieve more thermal insulation to the keg container. Such a needed device would provide a means to transport the keg easily by hand. Such a system would be able to form and melt ice crystals at a bottom portion of the keg container allowing the ice to float to the warmer liquid at a top portion and thereby attain a cool, even temperature throughout the beverage. This system would include a refrigeration unit for cooling and a dispensing means to effectively dispense the cooled beverage from the keg, while the keg is in upright position. Further, this system would induce convection currents within the keg container so as to enable more uniform cooling of the beverage contained therein. Finally, this system would be clean, hygienic and simple to use.